Chicken Question

ZackMurphy · 10-06-2005, 01:56 AM

Some of the atkins sauces (because they're low sugar) are pretty good. "Carb Options" is one brand - they rebottle other brand names in a low sugar formulation and some are pretty tasty. I like low sodium soy sauce, too. Depends what you plan to do with the chicken - mix it with other things, or eat it a la carte.

**bubba g** · 10-06-2005, 02:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gappa238

What is the best tasting marinade for skinless chicken breast?

I like to use italian dressing, you can use the pre made ones or what I do is but the mix, and I use extra light olive oil.. not virgin.. only because of the much lighter taste. extra virgin should only be used when you are not cooking to oil.. like for salad dressing when you are using it on salad, but since you will be cooking the chicken extra light is the way to go.

The Doc · 10-07-2005, 08:39 AM

Completely defrost the chicken in the fridge and then remove it and pat it dry. Now this sounds strange but let the chicken get up to room temperature, this should take about an hour (I'll explain this below). Then dry it again and put it in a bowl with your marinade:

The classic ratio for a marinade is 3 to 1 (oil to other liquids), I know this sounds like a lot (especially in this forum ), but marinade only penetrate about 1/4 inch into the meat. If we were talking about injection marinades that's a whole different ratio/thread. You can use less oil if you want, the reason there's so much oil in classic marinades is to please the palette. Your not getting a lot of liquid into the meat, so the little bit that does get in should have a higher concentration of oil to be more pleasing to the taste buds. This is up to you, if you like things tangy by all means reduce the oil and up the acid (do a 2 to 1 or a 1 to 1). Experiment and find the ratio you like, it's your mouth and your taste buds you decide. The spice you add depend on what genre of flavor you're trying to mimic, so pick a cuisine and google their spices.

For best results this should marinate for at least 2 hours but preferably over night (less if it's in a vacuum). Once the the meat is marinated then you can commence to cook it with your preferred method until the internal temperature is 145 or the juices run clear when you prick the breast.
Now the reason for allowing the breast to come to room temp before marinating. Meat is affectted by temperature in that when it is heated it expands and when it cools it contracts. So when it's warm it's cell are open more to the marinade, and as it cools it will contract/shrink-up and draw in more marinade than if the breast were at fridge temp the whole time. Now if you really want to almost completely infuse the meat you can brine it.

The Doc

The Doc · 10-29-2005, 05:30 PM

I've been experimenting more with brine lately, because it imparts the most flavor completey throughout the meat.

2 quarts warm water
1/5 Cup Kosher salt
2 Tablespoons liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon MSG (Accent in spice isle) *optional
Any other flavors/spices you wish to infuse

Mix ingredients until disolvedand, add 4-5 chicken breasts or lean pork and let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes. Then refrigerate for 2-3 hours and grill, broil or pan sear. This method gives you alot of room for error in the juicy meat window. If you tend to cook your chicken a little longer for whatever reason this helps maintain the juiciness even if slightly overcooked. I usually grill my chicken for 8-12 minutes and I cooked the brined ones for 20 with no discernable loss of juciness or flavor. As for the MSG, I don't care what anyone says the stuff makes food taste better without adding unwanted calories or fat.

Quick tid bit:
People have long-known about the four basic tastes - sweet, sour, salty and bitter. But now a distinctive, scientifically recognised, fifth basic taste called umami is now universally accepted. The umami taste is imparted by glutamate in foods. Other substances, including nucleotides, also have the umami taste. However, glutamate is the quintessential source of the umami taste.

The Doc

Chicken Question
Author: Gappa238
Time: N/A Difficulty: N/A Serving Size: N/A	Description N/A
Ingredients
N/A
Preparation
No prior preparation is required.
Instructions
N/A

10-07-2005, 08:39 AM	#4
The Doc Pro Stature Join Date: May 2005 Location: Lockport,NY Posts: 232 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 6	Completely defrost the chicken in the fridge and then remove it and pat it dry. Now this sounds strange but let the chicken get up to room temperature, this should take about an hour (I'll explain this below). Then dry it again and put it in a bowl with your marinade: The classic ratio for a marinade is 3 to 1 (oil to other liquids), I know this sounds like a lot (especially in this forum ), but marinade only penetrate about 1/4 inch into the meat. If we were talking about injection marinades that's a whole different ratio/thread. You can use less oil if you want, the reason there's so much oil in classic marinades is to please the palette. Your not getting a lot of liquid into the meat, so the little bit that does get in should have a higher concentration of oil to be more pleasing to the taste buds. This is up to you, if you like things tangy by all means reduce the oil and up the acid (do a 2 to 1 or a 1 to 1). Experiment and find the ratio you like, it's your mouth and your taste buds you decide. The spice you add depend on what genre of flavor you're trying to mimic, so pick a cuisine and google their spices. For best results this should marinate for at least 2 hours but preferably over night (less if it's in a vacuum). Once the the meat is marinated then you can commence to cook it with your preferred method until the internal temperature is 145 or the juices run clear when you prick the breast. Now the reason for allowing the breast to come to room temp before marinating. Meat is affectted by temperature in that when it is heated it expands and when it cools it contracts. So when it's warm it's cell are open more to the marinade, and as it cools it will contract/shrink-up and draw in more marinade than if the breast were at fridge temp the whole time. Now if you really want to almost completely infuse the meat you can brine it. The Doc __________________ I do not have an M.D. or a Ph.D., Doc is a nickname, please don't ask me about your personal itching or psychological problems. A smart man learns from his own mistakes, a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. IAmShaman Shop

10-29-2005, 05:30 PM	#5
The Doc Pro Stature Join Date: May 2005 Location: Lockport,NY Posts: 232 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 6	I've been experimenting more with brine lately, because it imparts the most flavor completey throughout the meat. 2 quarts warm water 1/5 Cup Kosher salt 2 Tablespoons liquid smoke 1/2 teaspoon MSG (Accent in spice isle) *optional Any other flavors/spices you wish to infuse Mix ingredients until disolvedand, add 4-5 chicken breasts or lean pork and let stand at room temperature for 45 minutes. Then refrigerate for 2-3 hours and grill, broil or pan sear. This method gives you alot of room for error in the juicy meat window. If you tend to cook your chicken a little longer for whatever reason this helps maintain the juiciness even if slightly overcooked. I usually grill my chicken for 8-12 minutes and I cooked the brined ones for 20 with no discernable loss of juciness or flavor. As for the MSG, I don't care what anyone says the stuff makes food taste better without adding unwanted calories or fat. Quick tid bit: People have long-known about the four basic tastes - sweet, sour, salty and bitter. But now a distinctive, scientifically recognised, fifth basic taste called umami is now universally accepted. The umami taste is imparted by glutamate in foods. Other substances, including nucleotides, also have the umami taste. However, glutamate is the quintessential source of the umami taste. The Doc __________________ I do not have an M.D. or a Ph.D., Doc is a nickname, please don't ask me about your personal itching or psychological problems. A smart man learns from his own mistakes, a wise man learns from the mistakes of others. IAmShaman Shop

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10-06-2005, 01:56 AM	#2
ZackMurphy IronMass Donator Join Date: May 2005 Location: Folsom, CA Posts: 559 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 9	Some of the atkins sauces (because they're low sugar) are pretty good. "Carb Options" is one brand - they rebottle other brand names in a low sugar formulation and some are pretty tasty. I like low sodium soy sauce, too. Depends what you plan to do with the chicken - mix it with other things, or eat it a la carte.